It can be difficult to plan for a new baby. You can buy the bottles, wash the tiny clothes, assemble the crib, stock up on diapers and read all the baby books—but once your baby arrives, you quickly realize there are some things you simply can’t prepare for.
And as your baby grows, your focus begins to shift from caring for a tiny newborn to keeping an increasingly curious little person safe.
That’s where baby-proofing your home comes in.
After we brought our daughter home from the hospital, we had a million things on our minds:
Is she latching right? How much milk is she getting? How long should her wake windows be? Is that crying normal? Is she too hot? Too cold? Is she sleeping enough?
We definitely weren’t worried about baby-proofing or in-home safety. She couldn’t even sit up, let alone crawl!
And then we blinked.
Suddenly, she was rolling, reaching, scooting and getting into things we never realized were within her reach. Before we knew it, she was on the move.
It was time to baby-proof—and quick!
The good news is that you don’t have to make your entire home baby-safe overnight. Start with the areas where your baby spends the most time, then work your way through your home room by room.
The Ultimate Baby-Proofing Checklist
Start with basic home safety
Make sure your home has working smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends having them throughout your home, including at least one on every level and outside sleeping areas. Test them regularly to make sure they are working properly.
It’s also a good idea to have an accessible fire extinguisher and a family fire escape plan. As your children get older, practice that plan together so everyone knows what to do in an emergency.
For more home-safety information, visit HealthyChildren.org’s Home Safety Guide.
Check your first-aid supplies
Make sure your first-aid kit is stocked and that medications and other supplies haven’t expired.
This is also a great time for parents and caregivers to consider taking an infant and child CPR and first-aid course. Hopefully, you’ll never need those skills—but knowing what to do during an emergency can give you confidence when caring for your little one.
Save important emergency numbers in your phone, including your pediatrician and Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222.
Lock up medications and household chemicals
Babies explore with their hands—and their mouths!
Keep all medications, vitamins, cleaning supplies, laundry products and other potentially dangerous substances locked away and completely out of your child’s reach.
Don’t forget purses, diaper bags and visitors’ bags. They can contain medications, hand sanitizer, cosmetics or other items that aren’t safe for little hands.
Get down to baby’s level
This may be one of the best baby-proofing tricks of all.
Get down on your hands and knees and crawl around the rooms your baby uses. You may be surprised by what you notice from that perspective.
Look for coins under furniture, electrical cords, pet food, small toys, dropped pills, buttons, batteries and anything else your baby might grab.
The American Academy of Pediatrics specifically recommends checking beneath furniture and between cushions for small objects that could become choking hazards.
Be especially careful with button batteries
Button and coin batteries deserve special attention because swallowing one can cause severe, life-threatening internal injuries very quickly.
Look around your house for products that may contain them, including remote controls, key fobs, watches, toys, flameless candles, hearing aids and other small electronic devices. Make sure battery compartments are secure and keep loose batteries completely out of reach.
Read more about household child-safety hazards from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Secure furniture and televisions
Once babies learn to pull themselves up—and eventually climb—furniture can become dangerous.
Anchor dressers, bookshelves, TV stands and other potentially unstable furniture securely to the wall. TVs should also be properly secured.
Don’t assume a heavy dresser can’t tip. A child opening drawers or attempting to climb them can change the balance of the furniture.
Baby-proof the kitchen and bathroom
Install child-resistant locks or latches on cabinets and drawers containing medications, cleaners, knives, matches and other potentially dangerous items.
Consider stove-knob covers or other safeguards appropriate for your range, and make sure a freestanding stove is properly installed with an anti-tip device.
You may also want toilet locks once your baby becomes mobile. Babies and toddlers are fascinated by water, which means bathrooms require especially close supervision.
Never leave a baby or young child unattended around water—not even briefly.
Check the hot-water temperature
Babies and young children can be burned more quickly than adults. Check your home’s hot-water settings and always test bath water before placing your baby in it.
And remember: no amount of baby-proofing replaces hands-on supervision around a bathtub, pool or other water source.
Cover electrical outlets and control cords
Use child-resistant outlet covers or another appropriate outlet-safety solution on accessible electrical outlets.
Keep electrical cords tucked away so your baby can’t chew on or pull them.
Window-covering cords are another important hazard. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says cordless window coverings are the safest choice in homes with young children. Keep cribs, beds, furniture and toys away from windows and window cords.
Learn more from the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Window Covering Cord Safety Guide.
Look at windows, stairs and fireplaces
Install appropriate safety gates at stairs and guards where necessary around fireplaces.
Windows also require attention. Window screens are designed to keep insects out—they are not strong enough to prevent a child from falling through a window.
Appropriate window guards or safety devices can help prevent falls while still allowing emergency escape where required.
Watch for lead in older homes
If your home was built before 1978, it may contain lead-based paint.
Peeling or deteriorating lead paint and contaminated dust can expose young children to lead. Rather than simply painting over a potential problem yourself, talk with a qualified professional about testing and the safest way to address it.
The CDC’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention information provides guidance for families living in older homes.
Create a safe sleeping space
Your baby’s crib may look prettier filled with blankets, stuffed animals and adorable pillows—but the safest crib is a simple one.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends placing babies on their backs to sleep on a firm, flat sleep surface with only a fitted sheet. Keep pillows, blankets, stuffed toys, crib bumpers and other soft objects out of your baby’s sleep area.
You can read the latest recommendations in the American Academy of Pediatrics Safe Sleep Guide.
Your Quick Baby-Proofing Checklist
As your baby becomes more mobile, walk through your home regularly and check that you have:
- Working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
- A fire extinguisher and family fire plan
- A stocked first-aid kit
- Medications, cleaners and laundry products locked away
- Child-resistant cabinet and drawer locks where needed
- Stove safeguards and an anti-tip device
- Toilets secured when appropriate
- Electrical outlets protected
- Electrical cords safely out of reach
- Cordless window coverings whenever possible
- Furniture and TVs anchored
- Safety gates installed at stairs
- Fireplace and window guards where needed
- Small objects, coins and batteries kept off floors and furniture
- Button batteries securely contained and inaccessible
- Knives, matches and other dangerous items locked away
- A safe, bare crib or approved infant sleep space
- Potential lead hazards investigated in older homes
- Emergency numbers stored in your phone
Baby-Proofing Is an Ongoing Process
Baby-proofing can seem intimidating at first, especially when you begin looking around your home and seeing hazards everywhere.
But here’s the reassuring part: you’ll get better at spotting them.
Once you start looking at your home through your baby’s eyes, you naturally begin noticing the dangling cord, the wobbly table, the coin under the couch or the bottle of cleaner that needs to move to a locked cabinet.
And don’t forget that baby-proofing isn’t something you do once and check off your list forever. Your home’s safety needs will change as your baby learns to roll, crawl, stand, walk—and eventually climb!
So every once in a while, get back down on the floor and take another look around from your child’s point of view.
You might be amazed at what you see.
Creating a safer home doesn’t require perfection. It’s simply about anticipating what those curious little hands might discover next—and taking a few practical steps to make your home a safer place for your baby to explore, learn and grow.